"I can't stay here this time. I'm afraid my mother-in-law won't be used to our place. I'll stay here next time."
"Okay, don't wait too long. Bring the child back when you have time."
"Okay uncle."
"Girl, the situation in our village is getting better now, and it will be even better in the future. This is all thanks to you. The improved seeds you brought back have done a great job. On behalf of all the villagers, I would like to thank you!
Last year's harvest was the best in our village's history, and it was taken seriously by the commune and the county, who sent people from the Agricultural Science Institute down here... I didn't say you brought the seeds, but it just so happened that Mr. Liu came to the village twice, so we decided to treat it as if he brought them. Anyone who wants to ask can ask him, hahaha! So as to avoid causing trouble for you."
Meng Tao smiled and said, "It doesn't matter if you say it to me. Anyway, I did go out to sea with Shen Yu once."
"Hey, keep your voice down, don't disturb Shen Yu!" Captain Bao shook his hands repeatedly with a serious face. He always felt that "overseas relations" should not be mentioned casually.
Then talking about last year's harvest, Captain Bao smiled brightly again: "...You will have a share of the dividends. Jinniu and Dongmei will receive it for you. Let them give it to you later."
Meng Tao declined: "No, I'm not registered in the village anymore."
"I said your household registration is still there, so it's still there. This is what you deserve, and you must give it to me!"
Meng Tao: “…”Okay, just give it to me if you’re happy.
Suddenly he thought of something and frowned: "Uncle, will those people from the Tian family come back to the village?"
"They can't come back. Last year, Wang Shuifeng moved her and her children's household registration to the county town. I heard that she remarried there. She sold the burnt-out Tian family house to the nearby Luo family for 200 yuan. The three sons of the Luo family will each marry and split up the family in the future. One of them can live in the rebuilt house."
"That's good."
In two or three years, Linshui Village is bound to become the first new rural village to become rich. It would be disheartening if the Tian family came back to reap the fruits of their labor.
As they were talking, Meng Changshou came over and sat down next to Captain Bao. He looked at Meng Tao and didn't say anything. He just kept smoking his pipe. Captain Bao asked, "Old man, do you have anything to say to Taohua?"
Meng Changshou waved his hand: "You guys talk, I'll sit next to you and listen."
"Nothing else, just tell me, old man." Captain Bao guessed that Meng Changshou might have something to talk to Meng Tao about, so he didn't ask about other people's hobbies and got up and left.
Meng Changshou waited for the team leader to leave, then he tapped his ashtray on the foot of the stool and said to Meng Tao, "Taohua, Grandpa has something to tell you: your cousin Jinlin has a high school education. He took the exam for the county cement factory last year and passed, but someone else took his place. Now he's a substitute teacher at the commune primary school. Can you help him get a permanent job?"
Meng Tao watched speechlessly as the old man filled another pot of tobacco and started smoking, puffing out clouds of smoke. If the wind had not blown over and Meng Changshou was not in the downwind direction, she would have stood up and moved her stool away, as the smell of the tobacco was too pungent.
"Grandpa, the school is in charge of teachers' affairs. I'm not even a teacher myself, so how can I help?"
"Ahem, your brother Jin Lin said that you can't, but Shen Yu is an official, and his words to the higher-ups are effective."
"Shen Yu is not from our area. The county magistrate is better off managing it now. How can he manage the school in your commune?"
"Why can't I manage it? The senior officials manage the junior officials... Hey, you don't understand!"
"…He and his eldest nephew were drinking and talking with the educated youth. I can't disturb them. Go and call him over to discuss how to help your cousin."
Meng Tao shook her head: "I won't go. It's no use calling him over. He won't be able to help."
"Taohua, you guys should help Jinlin. He graduated from high school and is a talented person. Our family has a strong backing, so how can he just be a substitute teacher? And your cousins only have junior high school education, and they are pitiful doing farm work at home every day. If you can take care of them, it would be good to find them a job in the city.
They wanted to come and see you today, but this Taurus wife was too powerful, so I didn't let them come. You also say something about the Taurus wife. She should be filial and virtuous when she marries into our Meng family. How could she be like this? She complains about this and that, and beats and scolds relatives when they come and sends them away..."
"Grandpa, please keep your voice down. Dongmei is very kind. I was the one who taught her not to allow the Meng family from Liuzhuang to enter this yard, but she still allowed you to come in and served you tea. Have you forgotten? Otherwise, don't come next time. Please sit down. I will leave tomorrow. I should go around the village and talk to the villagers."
Meng Tao ignored Meng Changshou and got up to leave. If she continued talking to the old man, she would not be able to control her temper.
When she passed the kitchen door, Bao Dongmei called her from inside and handed her a pair of chopsticks with a green ball on it. It was still steaming and gave off a faint scent of grass leaves. Meng Tao took it and saw that it was a mugwort rice cake.
"Try it quickly, it's so fresh and delicious right out of the oven." Bao Dongmei said with a smile.
Take a bite of Meng Tao, which also contains sesame and peanut fillings. It is soft, sweet, and has a lingering aroma of mugwort, as if you are tasting the flavor of spring.
"You're so busy today, do you still have time to do this? You're in a double position now, so be careful not to get tired."
"Don't worry, I didn't do it. I can't make it this good. It's my mom, Aunt Yang, and Xiaoyun who helped."
Meng Tao walked into the kitchen and saw three people busy inside: "Thank you for your hard work! Oh, how did you make so many?"
Aunt Yu smiled and said, "Not many, just about 300, some steamed and some fried. I'll bring them back to you tomorrow. You're going back to your parents' home anyway, and we don't have anything special, just these wild vegetable dumplings. Give a few to your relatives and neighbors to try."
Meng Tao: "This is the best. It's a blessing to eat some fresh mugwort leaves in spring. People in the city can't even eat it if they want to. But how can they hold it? They're afraid it will stick together."
Aunt Yang said, "They won't stick. For steaming or frying, wrap them in bamboo shoot shells one by one, tie them up with bamboo thread, and let them air-dry overnight. They will be firm tomorrow. If you take a plane, it will arrive quickly, and you don't have to worry about them going bad. You can eat them directly or heat them in a steamer."
"Ah, they will definitely like it, but, isn't that too much? I'll just take a hundred."
"You take 200 yuan, and give your brother Zhehan 100 yuan. Guoqing said that your brother is popular in school, and teachers and students are happy to see him. Let him give everyone some local specialties to try."
"Then I'll take one hundred and leave one hundred for you to eat at home."
"Hey, when can we not eat it? There are a lot of mugwort leaves in the wild. If you want to eat it, just make some."
“…”
Meng Tao knew she couldn't argue with him, so she didn't say anything and wanted to take two to give to her mother-in-law Xu Zhen. Dongmei said that her mother-in-law had already eaten them, and she rushed to taste the first basket as soon as it was steamed. She liked the fragrance of the mugwort very much and ate two in a row. Now she was holding Xiao Yunhai, Xiao Wangcai, and Jiang Limei to go for a walk outside the village.
(End of this chapter)